Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo promised Monday, February 14, that violence against women would be prohibited in all courts and offices in the country.
This assurance was given by the SC as it began its online program to support the 2022 One Billion Rising Global Campaign Rise for the Bodies of All Women and Girls. The campaign is celebrated on Valentine’s Day.
Gesmundo reaffirmed the SCs call to end violence against women and all forms discrimination against them.
The message of the Chief Justice was contained in a press release issued by the SCs public info office (PIO).
Gesmundo observed that many women were locked up with their abusers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also noted that the evolution of gender-based violence is linked to the rise in technology. As abusers take advantage of new technologies, such as mobile applications, to exert their control over their victims, so too has gender-based violence.
He said: Truly, it is impossible to close our eyes and pretend this isn’t happening. Respect must be given to women, whether they are cisgender or transgender or have fluid identities, in order to ensure their rights to security, dignity and equality as well as justice. This violence must be stopped, even in the midst of the pandemic.
So he said, “We, in the Judiciary,” that we are not passive bystanders in the fight against all forms and violence against women. Even during the worst of the pandemics, we continued to make courts accessible to all who needed them by making use of current technology. We also exhorted courts to give priority to cases involving children and women, especially those with protection orders.
Gesmundo stated that the judiciary has reinforced the need to use gender-fair terminology as a tool for combating any implicit form discrimination.
He stressed that, in spite of these difficult times, we are meeting the challenges to deliver justice to this vulnerable sector.
He noted that it was not a coincidence that the global event is celebrated on Valentines Day — a day of love, passion, and commitment which are the rudiments of activism and advocacy.
He explained that activism and advocacy can help us see the injustices around us and alert us to them, so we can take action to fix them.
Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro–Javier, and Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting were the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the SC Committee on Gender Responsiveness within the Judiciary. They echoed the sentiments of the Chief Justices.
Justice Javier mobilized the public to support all Filipino women and their dignity, rights, freedoms and bodies.
Let us all shout in unison: women’s bodies deserve nothing less than abiding respect. Mga kababaihan, tumindig at manindigan! Javier stressed that Javier urged all women to stand up for their rights.
Justice Inting, for his part, said:
We are all part of one family. We are brothers, sisters. Let’s work together to end gender-based abuse.
The PIO stated that 2021 Ms. Universe Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez, 2021 Ms. Universe Philippines, gave a message to all women with the inherent ability to survive and push ahead during the virtual launch of online programs.
Gomez said: I implore you to keep fighting the good fight because you are a woman of strength…of ambition…of perseverance. You are a woman of strength. We are strong. We are strong. I wish that everyone can draw on that strength to speak out against violence and push for the goals of this movement.
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